Kibel Named Holekamp Family Chair in Urology

Adam Kibel, MD, specializes in the treatment of urologic cancers at the Siteman Cancer Center.

August 3, 2010 – Adam Kibel, MD, has been named the Holekamp Family Chair in Urology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

The endowed chair was established by Bill and Kerry Holekamp and the Holekamp Family Foundation through the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation. The Holekamps have generously supported many institutions dedicated to improving the lives of those in St. Louis and beyond, such as St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Washington University, the St. Louis Science Center and the Missouri Botanical Garden. William Holekamp was an active volunteer at Barnes-Jewish Hospital during the campaign to establish the Siteman Cancer Center, and he has served on the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation board since 2002.

The Holekamp Family Chair is the latest in Bill and Kerry Holekamp’s long-standing support of initiatives at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, including the campaign to transform the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College and the Cancer Frontier Fund for the Siteman Cancer Center.

"Our family's experience with prostate cancer showed us that effective treatment must focus not only on survival but also on quality of life," Bill Holekamp says. "It is our hope that our gift to endow the Holekamp Family Chair will provide the best possible return on investment by advancing Dr. Kibel's work to find better treatments for protecting both the life and the happiness of the patient."

Kibel is a professor of surgery in the Division of Urologic Surgery and a professor of genetics at the School of Medicine. He specializes in the treatment of urologic cancers at Siteman. The new chair will support Kibel’s clinical and research efforts to identify improved treatment options for patients with prostate, bladder or kidney cancer.

“It is phenomenal that Bill and Kerry Holekamp and their family have chosen to honor Adam Kibel,” says Siteman director Timothy Eberlein, MD, Bixby Professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery, and Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. “He is the consummate surgeon-scientist. Dr. Kibel is a compassionate and superb clinician, an outstanding researcher and a terrific role model for our residents and medical students. Without a doubt, the work he is doing in prostate cancer will improve the lives of countless patients. It is a joy to work with him on a daily basis.”

In treating patients, Kibel often uses minimally invasive surgical approaches and, when appropriate, incorporates chemotherapy along with surgery to improve the chances of curing cancer.

“Barnes-Jewish Hospital relies on charitable donors like Bill and Kerry Holekamp to continue making investments in Washington University physicians like Dr. Kibel, who make us a national leader in medicine,” says Richard Liekweg, president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. “With the funding that the Holekamp Family Chair in Urology provides, we will continue to pursue better outcomes for our patients, see possibilities that others think impossible, and build clinical programs and support discoveries that prevent and cure disease and promote health and wellness.”

Kibel’s research has focused on identifying patients with aggressive tumors who often can’t be successfully treated with common cancer therapies. With the goal of improving treatment options, he has studied cancer patients’ genomes to find mutations that increase the risk of cancer, and he has examined tumors to identify genetic signatures of aggressive disease. Kibel also has led clinical trials to evaluate novel treatments in patients with aggressive disease.

"For many years, Bill Holekamp and his family have been generous supporters of our mission to improve the care and treatment of cancer patients,” Kibel says. “This new chair enables me to pursue my research into the causes of cancer, which will translate into improvements in patient care. I am grateful for this gift, which will benefit many patients in the years to come."

Kibel received his medical degree from Cornell University in New York. He completed a residency in surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, a residency in urology at Harvard Medical School in Boston and a fellowship in urologic surgery at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Kibel joined the School of Medicine faculty in 1999 and serves on the staff at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. At the School of Medicine, he also is director of urologic oncology, director of the urologic oncology fellowship program and co-director of robotic surgery in the Division of Urologic Surgery.